The fourth of a series of assessments by a group of 142 historians and professional observers of the presidency have ranked Donald Trump near the bottom of the list of U.S. Presidents based on grades for leadership. Trump received the lowest grades for leadership of any commander in chief who has served in the White House in the past 150 years.
The ratings were based on ten leadership qualities, where Trump landed at rock bottom on two of them, “moral authority” and “administrative skills.” His strongest rank was at #32 on “public persuasion.”
Barack Obama rose to No. 10 on the list, rising two spots from the last survey in 2017.
Ronald Reagan is ranked at No. 9; Bill Clinton at No. 19; George H.W. Bush at No. 21, and George W. Bush at No. 29.
Richard Nixon was rated at No. 31.
The lowest rank was held by James Buchanan, Lincoln’s predecessor, whose divisiveness helped precipitate the Civil War.
C-SPAN has taken the survey since 2000 each time there is a change at the White House.
The Top Five:
- 1) Abraham Lincoln
- 2) George Washington
- 3) Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 4) Teddy Roosevelt
- 5) Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Bottom Five:
- 40) William Henry Harrison
- 41) Donald Trump
- 42) Franklin Pierce
- 43) Andrew Johnson
- 44) James Buchanan
Trump describes himself as a “big history fan” and has repeatedly ridiculed and discounted any criticism from historians and other “elites” as unfair.